7x16 - "The Wrong Stuff" Review

‘Castle’ : The Right Stuff

By Lisa Caputo

2015-02-23

Castle and Beckett get back to their usual routine with a bizarre murder on Mars…  kind of…

Castle has long set itself apart from most other network shows by successfully weaving through a wide variety of storytelling throughout each season, exploring every possible realm from comedy to drama to suspense to genre-specific stories and doing it all with a great amount of heart and soul. One of its greatest hallmarks is its ability to switch gears from intense and dramatic storytelling, such as we had just seen in its stunning two-parter in recent weeks, to fun and entertaining comedy, maintaining a wide tonal range while never losing sight of the overall story being told each season. Monday’s episode carried on that tradition, offering up a quintessential Castle episode that embarked on a comedic genre-specific route while still maintaining the classic elements of the story and the heart and soul of the show that viewers have come to know and love.

Penned by longtime Castle writer and the queen of subtext and witty dialogue, Terri Edda Miller, and directed by the remarkably talented Paul Holahan, “The Wrong Stuff” found Castle and Beckett back in their usual routine, picking up the story a short while after the recent two-parter as the partners in crime-solving and in life faced an investigation unlike anything else they had ever come across; a murder committed on Mars. While the crime scene was actually revealed to be a Mars simulator, created for the purpose of training a team of publicly-funded astronauts as they prepared for what could become the first successful mission to the red planet, the simulator itself offered Castle and Beckett the opportunity to investigate a murder set in an environment they had never explored before. When one of the astronauts was found murdered in the supposedly secured simulator, it was up to Castle and Beckett, along with Esposito and Ryan, to crack the case and find their murderer. What ensued was an hour filled with hilarious comedy, pop culture references to various sci-fi classics, and a plethora of witty dialogue, all woven amongst a very heartfelt personal storyline involving an overcrowded Castle-family loft that was beginning to affect the couple’s home life as husband and wife.

The case itself was an interesting one, filled with red herring moments and some bizarre yet intriguing twists, though it ultimately led back to the simplest conclusion. Three of the other four astronauts had been working together to take their colleague, Tom, out of the project, concocting a rather brilliant plan to use the simulator’s computer to carry out the murder and then cover it up, maintaining the perfect alibi for all of them. Using a clever lie to trap the astronauts, Castle and Beckett were able to get the truth from them and close the case. The case also opened the door for some of the episode’s most entertaining moments, from Ryan’s surprising lack of enthusiasm for space travel, to Castle’s hilarious impression of William Shatner, to Esposito chasing a suspect through the Mars simulator with truly nowhere for the suspect to run, to Castle’s sheer enjoyment of the entire case. While the heart and soul of the episode was the Castle family storyline, these moments of comedy were also some of the many great highlights of the hour.

It has always been entertaining to watch Castle living out his childhood fantasies through some of their most bizarre cases, and this particular one certainly did not disappoint. From his exclaiming that this was the “best case ever” as he had so many times before to his childlike excitement over getting to wear a spacesuit to enter the simulator to his hilariously bounding around the Mars environment as if he truly were in the gravity-defying realm of space, despite the fact that everyone else was clearly walking around as they would anywhere else, Castle was in his element and enjoying every minute of the fun. And while Beckett was, as usual, much more grounded in the reality of the situation, it was evident throughout the hour that she was actually enjoying watching Castle so happy and carefree, a far cry from the old days when she saw his childlike spirit as a hindrance rather than something to smile about. Then again, after all these two have been through together, perhaps she, too, is reveling in any opportunity for happiness as they attempt to move on from their latest brush with death and focus on the joy in their lives.

Of course, it was easier said than done when it came to their home life at the loft. With Alexis constantly having friends over and Martha finding a new beau, Castle and Beckett quickly discovered how crowded their home had become, limiting their own freedom as husband and wife. While Beckett did her best to rationalize it as being nothing more than just the natural outcome of having four adults living in the same space, something that beautifully mirrored the environment of their case as well, Castle seemed much more bothered by his lack of privacy in his own home, effectively calling a Castle family meeting to lay down the law and set some ground rules for everyone involved.

Even with their cramped living space, Castle and Beckett found plenty of time during the hour to showcase the very best elements of their relationship, from their verbal swordplay to their ability to work perfectly together to solve the crime, to their heartwarming romance, to the displays of the depths of their love. The episode allowed the two to engage in that classic banter that we have seen so often since the beginning between them, trading barbs and challenging each other as only they could. At certain points, the two even admitted to having signed up for opposing Mars missions, both sheepishly revealing that they had done so whilst they were at odds in their relationship. While it seems quite evident that neither would have gone through with it, the very thought that they would both look towards leaving the planet in the midst of a simple fight with one another, despite its completely irrational logic, spoke volumes about how deep their love actually is. After all, why else would they feel it could be necessary to leave the planet if their relationship had failed if not because they would need the most desperate exit strategy ever?

There were more hints as well at the couple considering expanding their family, despite the loft already being overcrowded. While the two did not directly discuss the matter, there were two occasions where clever hints were dropped and both took very different approaches. The first was actually one of the funniest one-liners of the night, with Castle feverishly searching Beckett for any signs that she had been scratched or bitten by the seemingly otherworldly creature that they found in the tunnels underneath the simulator. After explaining that he wanted to make sure she had not been impregnated by the creature, a sarcastic Beckett wittily responded with, “if you think that’s how I get pregnant, we need to talk.”

The second mention came in the closing minutes of the episode, in the midst of a scene that would forever change the Castle family dynamic. Once Castle and Beckett had closed their case and returned home, waiting for the family meeting to commence, Martha joined them and explained that she had told Alexis not to bother coming as she needed to speak to the newlyweds alone. In a scene that tugged at the heartstrings while also so brilliantly gave Martha the true independence that matched her spirit for all of these years, the Castle matriarch told her son and daughter-in-law that she had decided to find a home of her own. Now that her career was back on track and she had found a new beau, she was ready to find her own path and get her independence back. Plus, as she said, she was sure there would be a few more Castles running around that loft soon enough and she felt that the couple deserved to have their home to themselves to raise a family of their own. While the news shocked both Castle and Beckett, they were also supportive of her decision and warmly offered to help in whatever way they could. Of course, once they had the loft to themselves that night, they found the silence all too eerie, hilariously deciding to have a night out in pubic instead of a quiet night at home.

With that, the end of an era has been signalled. Despite a short time away from the loft during a past relationship, Martha has happily always been a part of the Castle family home. And even with Castle’s sarcastic comments to her at times about her freeloading ways, it has always been evident that he would not want it any other way. Of course, now that he and Beckett are married and considering starting a new branch on the Castle family tree, it seemed the right time for Martha to give them the space they deserved to have while also exploring her own newfound independence again. Thus, as one chapter in the Castle family saga ends, another will surely begin.